Rack, shelf and other like structures



Sept. 19, 1967 P. c. BEREND RACK, SHELF AND OTHER LIKE STRUCTURES 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1966 INVENTOR PAUL CHRISTOPHER BEREND 7 MMW Sept. 19, 1967 P. c. BEREND RACK, SHELF AND OTHER LIKE STRUCTURES 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1966 INVENTOR PA UL CHRISTOPHER BERENDUnited States Patent C) 3,342,347 RACK, SHELF AND GTHER LUKE STRUQTURESPaul Christopher Berend, 14 Roebuck House, Stag Place, London SW. 1,England Filed Feb. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 525,873 Claims priority,application Great Britain, Feb. 19, 1965, 7,321/ 65 8 Claims. (Cl.211-148) This invention relates to rack, shelf and other like structuresand is more particularly, although by no means exclusively, concernedwith so-called pallet racking for use in conjunction with fork-lifttrucks and like load-handling devices in which articles being handledare placed upon pallets which are then lifted by a forklift device toand from storage racks which comprise horizontal load supporting membersextending between spaced vertical supports. To facilitate the rapiderection and dismantling of such storage racks and also to allow easyadjustment of the vertical height of the various horizontal loadsupporting members, it is usual to provide each vertical support withfacilities for interconnection in a readily attachable and detachablemanner with such horizontal members at regularly spaced intervals.

One object of the present invention is the provision of an improved andsimplified construction for such rack or shelf structures whereby thecost of production is reduced to a minimum while at the same timeproviding a rugged design resistant to the rough treatment to which suchstructures are liable to be subjected.

In accordance with this invention a knock-down rack or shelf structurecomprises at least one vertical support member and at least onehorizontal load-support member detachably connectible to said verticalsupport member and is characterised in that said vertical support memberconsists of a bar of angle section, preferably right-angle section,material having a series of longitudinally aligned slots in each of itstwo flanges and also in that the horizontal load support member isprovided at the or each end which is to be connected to a verticalsupport member with an anchor plate having a first planar surfaceportion adapted to have surface-to-surface engagement with the outwardlyfacing surface of the one of the flanges of said vertical supportmember, said first portion being provided with at least one lateralextension from that one of its side edges which is disposed adjacent theapical region of the vertical support member, such extension beingshaped to engage and interfit with the outwardly facing surface of theother flange of said vertical support member around the apical edge ofthe latter, said anchor plate being also provided with at least onehooked-form tongue projecting from that surface of the first portionwhich engages the vertical support flange, said tongue being disposed ina plane which is parallel with that which bisects the angle between theplanes of said first portion and its lateral extension and being adaptedto pass through and then hook on to the lower end of any one of saidvertical slots in one of the flanges of said vertical support member.

In order that the nature of the invention may be properly understood,two practical embodiments thereof will now be described by way ofillustrative example only and with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible pallet racking embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the vertical support member;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken in a horizontal plane throughsaid vertical support member and two attached load support members ofthe pallet racking construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view illustrating the initial shape of and oneconvenient method of manufacture of the anchor plates of theconstruction shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention asapplied to an adjustable shelf support.

Referring first to FIGS. 14, the pallet rack construction showncomprises a plurality of vertical support members 10 arranged at spacedpositions and between which extend horizontal load support members 11.The latter are readily attachable to and detachable from the verticalsupport members at any one of a number of difierent vertical positions.Conveniently and as shown, two, front and rear, rows of members 11 areprovided extending respectively between pairs of front and rear verticalsupport members 10, the latter being arranged as end frames 12 by theinterconnection of the front and rear vertical support members It byhorizontal spacing bars 13 and diagonal bracing strips 14.

Such end frames may be made as unitary structures as by welding thevarious parts together. Alternatively, they may be made collapsible forease of packaging and transportation by employing bolted or similarconnections between the parts. Each vertical support member ispreferably provided with a foot plate 15.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2 each vertical support member 10comprises a length of right-angle section metal, e.g. steel, bar havingflanges 10a, 10b of equal width. Each flange is provided at regularintervals, e.g. every three inches, with rectangular slots 16 which arealigned longitudinally to the bar and are approximately coincident withthe median line of each flange. The angle bars are arranged so that theapical edge faces forwardly, i.e. towards the position from whichloading and unloading is to take place.

The horizontal load support members 11 may be of angle, channel or boxsection material, e.g. steel, and have their respective ends cut at 45in a vertical plane. To each such end is attached, as by welding, ananchor plate 17. Each anchor plate comprises a first planar surfacedportion 18 which is secured to the chamfered end of the member 11 andwhich is adapted to enter into surface-to-surface contact with one ofthe flanges 10a, 10b of a vertical member lit. Such portion 18 has atleast one lateral extension 19 projecting from that vertical side edgewhich lies nearest the apical edge 10c of the associated verticalsupport 10, such extension being bent over at right-angles so as tointerfit with the apical edge region of the vertical support 10 and withthe terminal end 20 of the extension engaging with the opposite flangeof the vertical member 10.

In the portion 18 a hook-form lug or tongue 21 is punched out and isbent rearwardly along the line 21a, FIG. 4, so as to lie at 45 to theplane of the portion 18 and therefore, parallel with the bisecting planebe p tween such portion 18 and the terminal end 20 of the extension 19.

The tongue 21 is shaped as shown more particularly in FIG. 4 to includean inclined cam surface region 22 at its lower end and an outwardlydirected recess or notch 23 at its upper end. The tongue 21 is sopositioned and dimensioned that, when the end of the member 11 ispresented to the vertical support member 10 by movement towards theapical region of the latter in a horizontal direction, such tongue 21can pass into one of the slots 16 of the member 10. Upon release aftersuch insertion the tongue 21 hooks over the lower end of the slot 16 andthe cam surface region 22 serves, under the downward pressure of anyload applied to the member 11 to draw the anchor plate 17 into firmcontact with the vertical member. The surface of the first portion 18enters into firm surface contact with the facing surface of the adjacentflange 10a or 16b and the associated extension 19 likewise enters intotight embracing engagement with the apical edge region 100 and the otherflange 10b or 10a of the vertical member.

The notch 23 at the top of each tongue 21 operates as a safeguardagainst dislodgment of the horizontal member 11 in the event of anyaccidental upward movement of the latter followed by a horizontalforward withdrawal movement as may easily occur should the fork of thefork-lift device being used to withdraw a load from the racking, beplaced accidentally under the member 11 itself instead of under a palletwhich is resting upon such member.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 4 the respective anchor plates 17 for useat opposite ends of each load support member 11 have their respectiveextensions 1 staggered vertically with respect to one another so as toallow the fitting of two anchor plates associated respectively withseparate horizontal members 11 on opposite sides of a single verticalmember 10 with the two members 11 at the same horizontal level.

The number of tongues 21 and the number of extensions 19 provided oneach anchor plate 17 may be varied according to load requirements. Thussuch anchor plate may comprise only one tongue 21 and one associatedextension 19 as shown at A in FIG. 4 or may include two (or more)tongues 21 each with an associated extension 19 as shown at B in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 also indicates how the complementary pairs of right and left-handanchor plates 17 may be economically stamped from a length of metalstrip.

Although the invention has been particularly described above withrelation to the construction of collapsible pallet racking, it is alsoapplicable to other uses such as the formation of shelving, mezzaninefloors and other structures.

FIG. illustrates an adjustable shelf support arrangement in which thevertical support member secured, for instance to a wall, oralternatively, forming a freestanding vertical column, is shaped asalready described in connection with FIG. 2. Each shelf bracket 24includes an anchor plate 17a having a pair of planar surfaced portions18a, 18b, one of which may be regarded as the equivalent of the lateralextension 19 of the construction shown in FIGS. 1-4. These portions 18a,18b, interfit over the apical region 10c of the vertical support andeach is provided with a stamped-out tongue 21 which enters and engagesrespectively with the one of the slots 16 which are formed in the twoflanges 10a, 10b, of the vertical support member 10.

I claim:

1. A knock-down rack or shelf structure comprising a vertical supportmember and at least one horizontal load support member detachablyconnectible to said vertical support member characterised in that saidvertical support member consists of a bar of angle section materialhaving a series of longitudinally aligned slots in each of its twoflanges and in that the horizontal support member is provided at eachend which is to be connected to a vertical support member with an anchorplate having a first planar surfaced portion adapted to havesurface-to-surface engagement with the outwardly facing surface of oneof the flanges of said vertical support member, said first portion beingprovided with at least one lateral extension from that one of its sideedges which is disposed adjacent the apical region of the verticalsupport member, such extension being adapted to engage and interfit withthe outwardly facing surface of the other flange of said verticalsupport member around the apical edge of the latter, said anchor platebeing also provided with at least one hooked-form tongue projecting fromthat surface of said first portion which engages said vertical supportflange and lying in a plane which is parallel with that plane whichbisects the angle between the planes of said first portion and itslateral extension and being adapted to pass through and then hook on tothe lower end of any of said vertical slots in the flanges of saidvertical support member.

2. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 1 whichincludes at least two of said vertical support members in spaced apartpositions and in which said horizontal support member has one of saidanchor plates at each end in engagement with one of said verticalsupport members.

3. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 2 whichincludes at least two vertical support frames each comprising a pair ofsaid vertical support members rigidly interconnected With each other atspaced apart positions in a plane lying at right angles to thelongitudinal direction of said horizontal support member and in which atleast one of said horizontal support members is arranged to extendbetween each of the vertical support members of one frame and thecorresponding vertical support member of the other frame.

4. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 3 in whichthe apical edges of the vertical support members of each frame face inthe same direction.

5. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 1 in whichthe said first portion of the anchor plate is shaped to provide recessesin the side edge from which said lateral extension or extensions extendsuflicient to accommodate the lateral extension or extensions of anothersimilar anchor plate attached to another horizontal support member andWhose tongue or tongues is/are engaged with the corresponding slot orslots in the opposite flanges of a common vertical support memher.

6. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 1 in whichsaid tongue is of an overall length in the vertical direction such thatit will only just pass through the complementary slot in the flange ofthe vertical sup port member.

7. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 6 in whichthe upper end surface of said tongue is formed with a downwardlydirected notch in that region thereof which coincides with the thicknessof the flange of the vertical support member.

'8. A knock-down rack or shelf structure according to claim 1 in whichthe hook region of said tongue is shaped to provide an upwardly directedsloping surface adapted to operate cam-wise upon the lower end surfaceof any slot in said vertical support member to draw said anchor plateinto tight engagement with said vertical support member upon theapplication of any downward load on said horizontal support member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,944,676 7/1960 Bell 211-1482,948,409 8/ 1960 Wroblewski et al. 211-176 2,950,826 8/1960 Degener-1-- 211148 3,273,720 9/1966 Seiz 2l1148 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, PrimaryExaminer,

W. 1). LOULAN, Assistant Examiner,

1. A KNOCK-DOWN RACK OR SHELF STRUCTURE COMPRISING A VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER AND AT LEAST ONE HORIZONTAL LOAD SUPPORT MEMBER DETACHABLY CONNECTIBLE TO SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER CHARACTERISED IN THAT SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER CONSISTS OF A BAR OF ANGLE SECTION MATERIAL HAVING A SERIES OF LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED SLOTS IN EACH OF ITS TWO FLANGES AND IN THAT THE HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEMBER IS PROVIDED AT EACH END WHICH IS TO BE CONNECTED TO A VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER WITH AN ANCHOR PLATE HAVING A FIRST PLANAR SURFACED PORTION ADAPTED TO HAVE SURFACE-TO-SURFACE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OUTWARDLY FACING SURFACE OF ONE OF THE FLANGES OF SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER, SAID FIRST PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE LATERAL EXTENSION FROM THAT ONE OF ITS SIDE EDGES WHICH IS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE APICAL REGION OF THE VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER, SUCH EXTENSION BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE 